A local man is out of jail on bond partly because of his claims of having a fatal disease that would be costly to treat.

Jessie Dale Benton was arrested June 23, 2010, and pled guilty to the offense of felony theft by taking April 26, 2011. He received a 10-year sentence and was allowed to serve the sentence on probation.

During a bond revocation hearing Nov. 29, Assistant District Attorney Keagan Goodrich told the court Benton violated that probation by recently committing a similar offense of felony theft by taking in Putnam County. She said the defendant was allowed to remain out of jail on bond for that offense after telling Putnam County officials he had been diagnosed with stage IV cancer.

Goodrich said the paperwork she and the court was given by Benton shows no reason for him not to be in jail.

“What the documents say is that he is constipated. He should be in jail, and I ask he be taken into custody,” she said.